Egaran Stars - 37. Reinard- Truth

Reinard adjusted himself with a quiet grumble, pulling Galen’s dick out from his cheeks for the third time in an hour. No matter how he sat, the tiger seemed to find a way to tease his ass, and it was seriously fraying his resolve.

The fox was on Galen’s lap, the Egaro’s idea. Strong arms held him close, the tiger gently petting Reinard as they watched TV. Galen hadn’t bothered to get dressed, and Reinard was starting to think it was because the tiger had a plan to steal even more of his virtue.

“Can you stop trying to get in my ass?” Reinard frowned, his body squirming away from Galen’s rod.

“Aedan got me all hot and bothered,” Galen breathed into the fox’s ear. “Don’t you want to help your bonded feel good?”

Reinard didn’t answer, his tail raised traitorously. The tip rubbed Galen’s chin, the Egaro letting out a breathy moan.

“Is that a yes?” he murmured, tugging at Reinard’s tail with his teeth.

Reinard shook his head, grabbing at his tail. He shoved the appendage down under his butt, trying to control it. His body hurt enough as it was; having Galen take him again would feel amazing, but the Faro doubted he would survive the aftermath.

“And in Alliance news, Athalea mourns the loss of a clan. The death of Eiron Artego and his kit brings an end to centuries of fighting…”

Reinard’s head swivelled, his eyes staring at the tv in horror as a picture of his segal was plastered on the screen. Dusky tan fur was outlined with a light orange, the pattern of the fur too similar to Reinard’s own. Any Faro who knew what his segal looked like would easily see the resemblance.

“Reinard… he looks a lot like you,” Galen frowned, his eyes moving between the screen and the Faro on his lap.

The fox shrank in on himself, his eyes staring at his segal, at the last image of his clan. He was glad there were no pictures of him to show; Segal had never taken any. It had always been too risky. But now…

“Reinard. What happened?” Galen demanded. “Who was that?”

“I’m dead…”

It came out a breathless laugh, devoid of mirth. He was dead. They said he was dead; there would be no reason for anyone to look for him any more. He buried his head into Galen’s chest, sobs shaking his body as the confused tiger held him.

“Was that your father?”

“My segal. You can’t tell anyone about this,” Reinard pleaded.

“Why? Wouldn’t you want to have other Faro to keep you safe?”

“They would kill me if they knew I was alive.”

“And if they knew I bonded with you?” Galen asked. “Reinard… why would you…?”

The tiger let out a growl, pushing Reinard off his lap. Reinard curled up in a ball as Galen stood up and began pacing.

“Does Themis know?”

“Yes. It was why she thought I should work in the porneo,” Reinard shivered, missing Galen’s warmth.

“And no one thought to warn me before… FUCK!”

The fox flinched as Galen yelled, trying to bury himself into the couch cushions.

“Oh hey Galen, here’s a Faro, by the way, he’s a wanted fox! Why don’t you live with him?!”

He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to help the tiger. Reinard had spent his entire life on the run. Having to check over his shoulder was second nature to him. To suddenly be thrown into the same situation without any preparation…

Reinard crawled off the couch, silently heading into the bedroom. He began pulling on his spare clothes, double checking his dagger to make sure it was in place.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Galen demanded, standing in the doorway.

“Leaving,” Reinard said, pulling his nepáta out of the dresser. “I’m not putting you in danger. They think I’m dead, but it won’t be long until someone tells them where I’m at.”

The Faro tucked the bag into a pocket, turning toward the door. A leg stuck out, preventing him from passing, and the fox glared up at his bonded.

“Move. You’ve made it clear enough I am no longer welcome.”

“So what, you’re just going to go live on a deserted island somewhere? How will you eat? Where will you sleep?”

“I’ve done it my whole life. I can figure it out,” Reinard shrugged helplessly.

A phone rang, Galen and Reinard turning their heads toward the living room. The Egaro looked back at Reinard and let out a huff. His hands shot forward, yanking Reinard into a hug as he lifted the fox onto his hip.

“What the fuck are you doing?! Let me go!”

Reinard smacked Galen, the tiger merely grasping the fox’s wrists in one hand as he reached for his phone with the other.

“Themis. You have a lot of explaining to do,” Galen growled into the phone as Reinard tried to kick him.

“Put me down you asshole!”

“Neither of us are happy Themis. Why would you hide-”

The Faro’s teeth flashed, Galen letting out a yelp as the fox bit him. He dropped Reinard, the small fox crying out as he landed on already tender legs. Trying to crawl away, Reinard barely made it halfway across the room before Galen lifted him up again.

“No you don’t. Themis says you are not to move from here.”

“You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do just because you fucked me!” Reinard snarled.

“Fine,” Galen snapped, shoving his phone against Reinard’s head.

“Reinard, don’t leave the house,” Themis said sharply. “You don’t need anyone seeing you right now.”

“So I’m supposed to be stuck in this house for the rest of my life?!”

“No, until we can change your pattern. We should have done it already.”

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Reinard, this is not debatable. You need to cover your pattern so no one recognises you,” Themis said. “I have a friend who can stop by and fix your fur. Your pattern will still be there, just hidden.”

Reinard gekkered, his body coiled and tense.

“Themis, I can’t do this.”

There was a quiet sigh and the sound of fingers typing on a keyboard.

“You can and you will. Reinard, you asked me to help keep you safe, and I’m trying to do that. Please don’t make this difficult on the people trying to help you. And don’t leave the house.”

“Why? It’s not like Galen is going to protect me.”

“I never said that,” Galen grunted. “Give me the phone.”

He took it from Reinard, the fox growling as he wriggled.

“If I put you down, will you stay still?”

“Bite me,” Reinard scowled.

Galen sighed, before kneeling so Reinard could escape his hands. The tiger stepped between Reinard and the front door. The Faro glared at him, trying to dart between the Egaro’s legs, only to be caught between the muscled thighs.

“Fuck! Let me go!”

“Yeah, he’s still trying to escape. Why didn’t you warn me I could get shot?”

“You’re not going to get shot if you let me go!”

“Maybe…” Galen sighed. “Do you really need the details?”

Reinard could hear Themis yelling through the phone, something about cutting the Egaro’s dick off and feeding it to the Chelóna. Despite himself, Reinard had to laugh. Great minds really did think alike.